AUBURN HILLS -- What does the Pistons' trading for Jose Calderon mean for Brandon Knight?

After all Knight was supposed to be Detroit's point guard of the future right?

Well listening to Pistons coach Lawrence Frank and general manager Joe Dumars, Calderon's presence doesn't mean Detroit thinks any less of Knight, in fact they believe Calderon can help Knight.

"In no means is this an indictment on Brandon this just comes down to the fact that Jose's elite at doing what he does," Frank said. "I think this is going to be really good for our team. I think it's going to be really good for all our guards. It's amazing, once you start seeing certain things and you go against it everyday in practice, all of a sudden it's a little bit easier to pick up. I think this is going to be a really good thing for our group."

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Knight has played in just 113 NBA games during his career.

Due to the lockout shortened season, Knight didn't get to play 82 games his rookie year and didn't have a training camp or offseason where he could work with the team or coaching staff.

Detroit is clearly not giving up on the 21-year-old Knight this early in his career.

Bringing in Calderon gives Detroit two guards with different styles. Calderon's strength is clearly passing and taking care of the ball.

Calderon averages 7.4 assists this season. He averaged 8.8 last year and 8.9 the year before.

Knight is averaging 4.4 assists this year.

Calderon's 4.44 assist-to-turnover ratio is second in the league behind only Chris Paul's 4.45.

Knight's assist-to-turnover ratio is 1.51, which 75th in the league and the worst by a starting point guard in the NBA.

It's clear at this point, Calderon is a better passer than Knight.

"Look Brandon is a point guard too," Frank said. "We got two guards. We got Calderon because he's done it. He's done it longer. He's a different type of player than Brandon. It will really help (Knight) because when you're going against it, you see it, and I've seen it firsthand with different guards, it has a contagious feeling on your team.

"When that balls popping freely and it's moving at the right time, at the right angle then guys they definitely learn from each other. So that's why I think with Jose it's going to be positive. There's going to be some adjustments that need to be made."

Calderon is the better passer, but Knight is the better scorer. Knight is averaging 14.0 points a game this season, something Calderon has never done in his eight-year career.

Calderon's 11.1 points per game this season is the third highest in his career.

It's clear the two have different skill sets and Dumars hopes they will play well off each other.

"I believe having two guards that can handle the ball, that can score, that can pass, that can initiate your offense, I think that's probably worked in Detroit before," Dumars said referring to himself and Isiah Thomas. "I'm a believer in that. I think that you can have two guards in the backcourt.

"Our message to Brandon is simply this, 'It's easy to play with another guard in the backcourt with you that can do all the things that you can do.' It just kind of makes you a two-headed monster. It's going to allow him to look to score more. It's not like we're going to take the ball out of his hands completely. We're just going to share the duties in the backcourt with this guy. We think it's going to be a good fit for him."

Knight played one of the best games of his career Friday night, finishing with 20 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and one turnover in Detroit's win over Cleveland.

After the game he was asked about the acquisition of Calderon and said he's not worried about playing off the ball more.

"I'm not worried about it, it's just playing basketball," Knight said. "We'll work it out, (he's a) great player, done a lot of great things in his career. Definitely a big help for us coming in. As we get used to playing with one another, we'll see how it works out."

When the Pistons will be able to see Knight and Calderon play together is unclear. Calderon, who hails from Spain, is dealing with visa issues since his former team was in Canada.

It's doubtful Calderon's visa issues will be resolved in time for Sunday's 1 p.m. game against the Lakers at The Palace.

Detroit plays at New York Monday before hosting Brooklyn Wednesday.

Dave Pemberton covers the Pistons for The Oakland Press. Email him at dave.pemberton@oakpress.com and follow him on Twitter @drpemberton.